Gangplank
Gangplank is a unique Council Mission added by the Slingshot Content Pack for XCOM: Enemy Unknown. This mission carries a randomized Operation designation and takes place on an airborne alien Battleship over a random Chinese city. Acquisition Gangplank is available two daysXComStrategyGame.XGFundingCouncil, DefaultGameCore.ini, game file, XCOM: Enemy Within (2013). after completing the mission Confounding Light. It is initiated by a Council transmission received at the Situation Room: Mission Brief Mission Objectives Mission Site The ship's layout is similar to a standard Battleship encountered during UFO crash missions, with the exception of six power conduits placed throughout the ship, and some areas such as the command deck removed. The city can be seen passing by in the background and helicopter searchlights will aim around. Enemy Types *Chryssalid *Cyberdisc *Muton *Sectoid *Thin Man Tactics Gangplank is not a typical Battleship assault due to the variety of alien species that drop in from above throughout the mission. It should be treated similar to an Abduction or Terror mission on the bridge map; executing bounding overwatch manouvres works best as troops can counter any enemies discovered and Overwatch at the end of every turn. As Bradford suggests, the power conduits can be destroyed rather than disabled. A Heavy can easily accomplish that, and with HEAT Ammo is adept at taking out the Cyberdisc as well. Although, it might be prudent to save the explosives for when an alien is actually in close proximity to the power conduit so you can destroy it and damage the alien all at once. Another way to destroy the power conduits from afar is by using the MEC Trooper's Collateral Damage ability. The aliens that drop in to prevent XCOM from disabling the power conduits go into Overwatch, so an Assault with Lightning Reflexes can be useful in eliminating them. The ship's elevated positions and low cover make Snipers with the abilities Damn Good Ground and Low Profile preferable. This mission can be extremely challenging early on, as the quantity and diversity of enemies can make short work of an unprepared squad. Enemy types and numbers begin to increase after the destruction of the first power conduit, so it is advisable delay the destroy the first conduit as late as possible, positioning your soldiers in the best cover with the best lines of fire to wait for the alien counter-attack. Equip soldiers with Laser weaponry and Carapace Armor, if available. If not, the mission is still possible, but careful rationing of explosives is recommended to take out high-priority targets such as the Cyberdisc waiting somewhere near the final power nodes; a well-placed Shredder Rocket combined with concentrated fire will suffice. Moreover, the use of the SWAT tactics (piling up your squad behind a door then opening it), are highly recommended as it will enable the squad to have the best cover and movement points to dispatch the enemies on the other side of the door as quickly as possible. Status Updates The following status updates are received from Central Officer Bradford during the mission: Mission Debriefing Rewards The Council rewards XCOM with 2 Engineers and 2 Scientists. In addition, a substantial quantity of resources and artifacts are recovered from the ship. Unlike most missions, the quantities are fixed: 304 Elerium, 508 Alien Alloys, 6 UFO Flight Computers, 5 UFO Power Sources, and perhaps most importantly 2 Fusion Cores. The recovery of the Fusion Cores unlocks the Fusion Lance and Guided Fusion Launcher research projects at a much earlier stage of the game than usual; they are otherwise unobtainable until around month six when Battleships begin to appear. Completing the mission also rewards the "The Bigger They Are" achievement. Notes *All Mutons in this and previous Slingshot missions carry Plasma Rifles. Stunning one unlocks the research earlier than usual, as well as the corresponding plasma-based research credit. *Cyberdisc in this mission can appear without typical pod introduction animation. It can attack in the same turn it appears. Gallery 2KGMKT XCOMEU Screenshot DLC Slingshot 13-resized.jpg 2KGMKT XCOMEU Screenshot DLC Slingshot 07-resized.jpg References Category:Missions (XCOM: Enemy Unknown) Category:DLC (XCOM: Enemy Unknown)